Fate of Soul An Etrian Oddysey Story
by icexsnow
Summary: Rune dreams nothing but to become a top class hero and thus ventures to Armoroad to conquer its labyrinth as his first task. On his way to the said city, he encounters a blonde fencer named Ice and parties with her as they challenge the labyrinth together while trying to resolve the feelings starting to bud for her.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: An Adventurer's Prolouge

"A perfect day for departing to seas!"

Is what I really wanted to shout out but the sea welcomed me with a loud growl from the skies. Because of this, I had to wait at a bar, sulking.

I ordered a simple soup that I could just afford with the little remaining money I had. Such was the sad fate of this soon-to-be-hero.

I looked dully at the people around having jolly shouts and cheers as they clicked at each other's beverages. And then 'she' caught my eyes. A girl with blonde hair tied in a ponytail, with sapphire colored eyes. She was clothed with breast armor with gold linen. The same went with her gauntlets. A thin sword dangled on her side. It was a rapier. It was weak as a normal sword but it was definitely fast.

Like me, she ordered the same soup but on the other hand looked delighted as she took her first sip. Her eyes widened from amazement, I think? One would think it was her first time eating this soup.

I began to eat my soup, bewildered by this girl. I decided to approach her as soon as she finished her meal. That was my initial intention but I intend up just staring at her.

The way she dressed and the proud face she put on as she was surrounded by drunken men of the bar, would make one think that she was a noble. She was a beauty that I've never seen before. I was enchanted.

I called to the girl that was behind the counter, asking for the blonde girl's name.

"Sorry sir. This is the first time I saw that gal. Might be from another place. From the north I think."

"Thanks."

The girl tending the bar was pretty too. At this time I would be caught flirting with her but I didn't. This is strange.

'No other choice but to ask her herself!'

I walked towards the girl. She turned to me. Her eyes gave a cold stare. It sent chills to my whole body. But there no backing out now. I pulled a chair in front of her and sat down.

"Who are you?"

Her voice came out with a tune of authority.

"Hi there, miss. My name is Rune, a hero in the making."

The expression in her face didn't change.

"I see. Do you need something from me?"

"Well… uh… I was just-"

Work your magic Rune! You always had a way with women right?

"If you have nothing to say, I have to leave."

She stood up rather gracefully and left me dumbfounded. I followed my gaze as she left the bar. This is the first time I've failed wooing a girl. I've failed as a man.

The next day, the sky was clear and sea was clam and yet ominous clouds lurked above me. I wonder where that blonde girl is?

I drearily walked the streets toward the harbor where the ship that will take me to Armoroad waited. I was still filled with thoughts of her when a bell sounded. It came from the direction of the harbor. The sound ended at the third chime.

'What was that?'

Behind me, I could hear many footsteps running. They run passed by me. A man grabbed hold of my arm and exclaimed,

"You're going to Armoroad, right? You should hurry the ship's about to depart!"

"WHAT!?"

I joined the men in their run. Just a corner more to the harbor, a gold gleam suddenly caught my eyes. I stopped.

At the end of a rather dark alley were five men surrounding a single person. That person's blonde hair was swaying along with the sea breeze that could be felt here. The armor she wore was the same as yesterday. The men around her were probably thugs. They were clothed in tattered shirts and pants. They had their swords out. One was pointing it at their prey.

"Hand over the loot girl!"

He smiled, showing his discolored teeth. The girl was facing away from me so I couldn't see her face but she seemed to jerk.

"Stay away you filth. I am in a hurry so leave."

There was no fear in her voice.

The thug leader gritted his teeth. Being called by filth must have hurt him pretty bad.

"You talk big for someone so small!"

He looked at her from head to toe. A lecherous smile spread on his face.

"You have a nice body. How about it? I'll forgive you if you entertain me tonight."

"In your dreams."

Her hand moved to her rapier. The thugs seemed to notice as they prepared there battle poses. No time to be standing here. I need to be the hero that I am!

"STOP YOU THUGS!"

Everyone turned to me, even the girl with the yellow blonde hair.

"The hell are you?!"

One of the thugs shouted.

"I am Rune! And that girl over there is with me! So you better lay off he-r."

My speech was cut short.

As the thugs were focused on my intrusion, the girl already drew her rapier and with lightning speed move, released a series of attack on them. When the assault finally ended, the thugs were left with cuts and bruises.

They retreated with a crushing defeat.

Once again I was dumbfounded by her. She was… amazing.

"Thank you."

She gave me a single bow before walking pass by me. She was walking towards the harbor… the SHIP!

I ran towards her and grabbed her hand.

"Are you also headed for Armoroad?"

I asked between steps.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"That's the only ship scheduled for departure today! And it's about to leave!"

I finally caught sight of the ship; it already has left the harbor.

"Oi! Wait!"

I shouted after the ship, a girl with lightly tanned colored skin with tea-colored hair noticed me. She pointed at the mast of a second ship resting at the harbor.

"GET TO THE TOP!"

She exclaimed.

We hurriedly made our way to the tall mast. Luckily, a ladder was already there. Once at the top, the girl across the ship was already pointing a bow and arrow towards us.

SWOOSH

The arrow just hit below us. At the edge of the arrow, a rope was tied and it extended towards the ship.

"You go first."

My companion also understood what to do. She torn a piece of the sail and let herself slide towards the ship. It went smoothly because it was inclined.

I immediately followed.

I let out a sigh of strong relief. That was a close call.

"Thanks!"

"No problem. It was fun while it lasted anyway. The name is Mika by the way."

The tea-colored hair girl said. Looking more closely, she had golden eyes.

"Just call me Rune."

"Ice."

My companion said. Was that her name? Ice? Somehow it seemed to fit her cold gaze.

"Nice to meet you Rune and Ice."

A smile formed at Ice's face as she gave a silent 'thank you' to Mika.

I couldn't help but stare at her face. She was smiling! And she looked even more beautiful as she did.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Arrival

Blue.

The color of the vast sky above.

Blue.

The color of the sea that now lay until the horizon.

Blue. Blue. Blue.

I looked below the ocean whose calmness was broken by our passing ship. Every part of me is longing for the color of the land: the lush green grass and the dirty brown land.

The bangs I have grown since my 17th birthday last month hindered my vision. Along with my eyes, they too were deep blue like the sea. I sighed.

"You haven't tried a durian yet?"

A voice shrilled behind me. Nothing better to do but join the chat then. I turned to my two female companions walking towards me.

"No I haven't."

The girl with blonde hair tied in a ponytail had her cheeks blushed in pink. It made her look like a doll.

"Where the heck were you locked up all this years?"

The person in question shuddered for a moment. She casted her eyes down on the floor. She seemed sad.

Not noticing Ice's reaction, Mika continued to speak in a matter of fact tone.

"It's super yummy! But you have to ignore the smell. It's horrible. I guess nothing is perfect. BUT-" She crossed her arms and smirked. "It's a delicacy so you should try one once you reach Armoroad!"

"Of course."

Ice and I were of the same age, as I found out from our days of travel by sea, while Mika was two years older than us.

Somehow, since meeting Ice I've been going through some changes. I've become aware of my actions whenever she's near and I can't even look at other women! I can't find the spark that I used to have whenever a beautiful woman comes to my sight.

What is happening to me?

Is this perhaps… the so called [love at first sight]?

"I see the tree!"

Mika was pointing at the far horizon. There, I could certainly see something. An image of a tree.

"Is that the Yggdrasil tree?" Ice asked.

So she's never been to Armoroad?

"That's right Ice! The golden ticket of all adventurers! Around that tree is the labyrinth I have told you before. The one that leads to the undersea city that drowned a hundred years ago or so they say. Well anyhow, there are many items you can get from the labyrinth so even without the undersea city it's still keeping many treasures. "

Aside from being older than us, Mika has made debut as an adventurer of Yggdrasil a year earlier too. She's a veteran!

As Mika continued to spout random topics to Ice, a sudden squeal reached my ears. Looking at the source of the voice was a girl with short hair curled at the edge, it was colored like a pale yellow lemon and she was wearing a blue one-piece with a white apron.

She had her hands stretched out to me like a child wanting an embrace but her face was certainly frightened. In her blue eyes, I was reflected. A dumb look was there.

Mika and Ice turned their eyes to the sky. I followed. Just above me was a shadow of something falling? What was it?

Wait- is that- a mallet?

Why the hell was a mallet falling from the sky and heading towards me?

Before I could even run, I felt a sharp pain in the head. Before I lost consciousness I saw a glimmer of gold running towards me and a pair of sapphire blue eyes. They were so beautiful—just like hers.

As I opened my eyes, she was there right beside me.

Ice was looking to the sky through a window of the room. Her eyes, that seemed to capture the sky, then gazed down to me.

"Where am I?" I mumbled. This wasn't my room in the ship.

"In Armoroad. We already docked a day ago."

She answered quite bleakly.

"I'll get the doctor to get you checked."

Before she could stand up, I took her hand. She looked back at me, bewildered.

"Tell me something Ice… have you been to Armoroad before?"

She shook her head.

"I'm sure that this is my first but-"

She looked down again.

"I've heard of these lands from an acquaintance. She spoke quite highly of Armoroad."

"I see."

She left and soon came back with a middle aged man who seemed to be the doctor. Following them was Mika and another girl, the girl from before, the one with the blue one-piece.

"You seem to be all right. These are the medicine I want you to take just in case."

The doctor gave me a list and continued,

"If you happen encounter strange pains in your head just call for me again. Goodbye then."

I lowered my head as he left.

"I'm so glad you're fine Rune! You had us worried!" Mika exclaimed.

"Um…" A small voice called out. "I-I'm sorry. It was my mallet that hit you. I didn't mean too. I'm really sorry!"

The one-piece girl already had tears streaming down from her eyes! This is bad! Did I just make a girl cry?!

"No, it's okay really! I'm fine see?"

I jumped out of my bed and begun to do a push up. She seemed to stop crying.

"I'm glad you are okay. I'm Chelinka by the way, if you ever need any assistance in anything related to plants I'm the right person to call! I'm a farmer by career!"

Chelinka's face was flushed with pink as she talked. She seemed like a little child who just got a new toy as was bragging about it. I couldn't help but smirk.

"We sure will, Chelinka!" I said enthusiastically. "I'm sure you'll be a great help if we inquire something about the labyrinth's ecosystem!"

"Oh!" she suddenly gasped, from her smiling face; it suddenly turned to a frown. "I should have guessed you were adventurers. I'll help you in any way I can but the labyrinth… it's just so dangerous that I even wonder what drives people to venture it. Oh! Never mind me. You see, a friend of mine also is an adventurer of the labyrinth. He only comes back to restock his supplies and then goes off again! Sometimes I think he'd forgotten he had a life in town too."

"He must be hardcore." I said. But I guess I'd be just the same.

"I'm not sure what to describe him."

She began pondering as she fiddled with her hands. Ice, meanwhile, had been closing her eyes repeatedly. Now that I look at it, she seemed pale and she wasn't talking at all.

She seemed to notice that I was looking at her when she sat down and said, "I'm sorry but I think I need sleep. Would you mind if I rest for the day?"

"Sure."

"My room is just besides yours. Goodnight."

As Ice left the room, Mika suddenly slapped me from behind and said, "She has been looking out for since you collapsed. How could you let a pretty girl like her worry about you? You're not worth it!" And then she laughed out loud.

"What do you mean I'm not worth it- what?"

Did I just hear Mika correctly? Ice was looking keeping watch of me while I was unconscious?! She was worried about me! She was- losing sleep because of me…

No words could describe the sudden feelings that flooded me. I could feel my heart racing. Once again, my heart was beating for her.

"Oi." Mika said to my ear. "Take care of Ice all right? I have to leave to meet my brother so I'll see you again."

I nodded.

"I'll take my leave too. Take good care and say goodbye to Ice for me."

Chelinka said.

Left all alone in the room, I let out a huge grin and faced Ice's room silently wished her goodnight.


End file.
